Our blog this week is an interview with Christopher Jackson, Chair of Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester. Chris loves salt tectonics and running, and is a champion for improving equity in geoscience and beyond. You can find Chris on Twitter @seis_matters or on email at Christopher.Jackson@manchester.ac.uk
The past few years have seen Chris Jackson’s public persona skyrocket – in 2017 he gained acclaim for appearing in BBC Documentary ‘Expedition Volcano’, in 2020 became the first Black scientist to ever present a Royal Institution Christmas Lecture, and more recently he has received a series of awards for his work in public engagement (including a Public Service Award from the Geological Society of America, a Geoscience in the Media Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, and the President’s Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement from Imperial College London). The Geoscience for the Future team caught up with Chris to find out more about his new role, his research, and his thoughts on the future of our subject.
GftF: Congratulations on your new position! What does being Chair in Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester mean to you- what do you want to achieve?
A lot of people thought that the title of ‘Chair in Sustainable Geoscience’ was my idea. It wasn’t! It was chosen by the University. But I think it is great! Having a named position in sustainable geoscience recognises the broad contribution that geoscience can bring to society; I really welcome that.
In this role, I want to bring together my interests in technical aspects of sustainable geoscience and my interests in geoscience communication, and to broaden the audiences engaged in geoscience. I want to make sure that the fascinating science being done by geoscientists is seen by the public and politicians, and that they understand the way in which this science, across sub-fields as diverse volcanology, geochemistry, and sedimentology, can positively shape their everyday lives.
Sustainable geoscience isn’t a new thing; there have been people applying geosciences to the betterment of society and people for decades. I simply want to reinforce that message and bring it to a wider audience.
GftF: This is very much in line with what Geoscience for the Future is about!! Okay, so tell us a little bit more about your research – what motivates you?
I like doing research that makes me think really, really hard. I like trying to solve new problems – or at least problems that are new to me! I am not motivated by doing something simply because it’s never been done before, or because it will change the world. For me, it is more important that any research I do makes me a better researcher, and that I enjoy the process. An important part of this process is who I work with; if I work with interesting people, or with people who make me think differently, I’m happy.
For that reason, I will work on anything, as my research career shows! I’m interested in everything from structural geology to stratigraphy, from applied geoscience to blue-sky research, from the way in which continents split, to the mechanisms transporting sediments into the deep oceans. So, if I think hard, learn from it, and meet good people, I’m happy!
GftF: Is PhD student supervision one of the key ways to achieve those fundamentals? How many PhD students have you supervised?
PhD students are central to achieving our research goals, and they should be highly prized and treated well. I’ve supervised 33 PhD students so far; 25 have finished, and there are 8 left to finish. I have supervised PhD students working on a diverse range of topics, and that are similarly diverse in terms of their backgrounds, experiences and aspirations.
You know, in many ways, the challenge in student supervision is not often the technical stuff. Instead, the challenge is in managing them, aligning your way of working with their way of working, or aligning their goals and aspirations with yours, or perhaps understanding where and when they don’t align! So, the challenge really is around the pastoral aspects of the relationships you have with PhD students.
“I really can’t overstate it; geosciences can help save the world!”
GftF: What would you tell somebody possibly thinking about going into geoscience, are there any key messages you want to share?
Yes: that geoscience is not just about rocks.
Geoscience has and will continue to have, an incredibly important role in allowing us to live safely and sustainably on this planet. I really can’t overstate it; geosciences can help save the world!
A lot of our understanding of the current climate crisis, and the scale of the emergency, comes from our knowledge of changing climate over geological time and – critically – the habitability and biodiversity of the Earth during times of change. That geological record gives us the baseline. Without that, you might think that current climate change is okay, right? But the geological record, the palaeontological record, tells us it is not okay!
And we’ve not yet talked about water. Having access to clean water is fundamental to life. And hydrology requires geological skills; it requires an understanding of the subsurface of the Earth in terms of its structure, pore networks, and permeability.
And then you can think about earthquakes, volcanoes…geohazards. If you’re interested in helping protect people and their property, become a geoscientist. There is a contribution to be made there in the same sense that we view, say, health care professionals.
GftF: You’ve done some amazing things in your career so far. What is your proudest moment, or your favourite thing?
That is really hard to answer! I don’t think it’s any of the technical things that I’ve done. And I don’t think it’s about one moment, one thing, either. So, I’d have to say it’s probably related to who I’ve interacted with during my career. I guess that one of the things that’s felt most important to me has been talking to the general public about geosciences. Visiting schools, for example, or giving talks to community groups. And representing Black people. Whether it’s on television or it’s in a classroom of four-year-olds, it doesn’t matter, really. It’s just really important to positively represent your science and yourself.
Another thing that I feel has been the important for me is speaking out against injustice and discriminatory practises that exclude people. And again, you know, that works in two ways: you hope it causes change and benefits others, and, equally, there is a personal fulfilment in that I would feel internal disquiet if I didn’t say or do anything.
So, all in all, I’d say that the advocacy-related work has been most important to me.
“Geoscience is a kind of superpower.”
GftF: What do you see for the future of geoscience?
Ha! Well, I remain hopeful, of course.
But geoscience isn’t going to get anywhere without putting in a bit of effort in terms of its reputation: how well known it is, how appealing it is to new students, how it is viewed by political leaders, how it is viewed by the general public. Because, for example, if we’re going to do any of the geoscience that’s needed for a low-carbon future, we need an ongoing conversation with the general public.
Also, I think we need to be very aware of what we’ve done in the past, the good stuff and the bad; geoscience industries have been complicit in damaging activities. Geosciences might be incredibly important to our society, and we will need geosciences, but that doesn’t give us a licence to do things badly. The future of geoscience involves learning from our past.
GftF: Finally, what does geoscience mean to you?
For me, geoscience means a kind of weird privilege: it is the existence of being able to investigate our deep history, being able to read the landscapes around us. Being a geoscientist is almost like you have superpowers to look into time and space that other people can’t see. Sometimes we use equipment like geospatial tools that allows us to see over a much bigger spatial range than most humans do. Sometimes we use equipment like microscopes that allows us to see in much greater detail than most humans do.
Because of this, to me, geoscience is a kind of superpower.
Feature image by Paul Wilkinson